What language do
they speak in New Zealand?
If you cannot speak and write English well, not
only will you find it extremely difficult to
find a job, but you probably won’t qualify for
any sort of work visa in the first place. You
will, however, be relieved to hear that you
won’t be required to speak Maori (which was made
an official language in 1974) as well!

Although New Zealand is
officially bilingual and there have even been proposals to
replace some English place names with Maori names (hopefully
shorter than
Taumatawhatatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu –
the place where Tamatea, the man with big knees who slid,
climbed and swallowed mountains, known as ‘ landeater’,
played his flute to his loved one), English is still the
major language of business and spoken by all.

New Zealanders aren’t generally adept at speaking foreign
languages; when your nearest neighbours are hundreds of
miles away and even they speak English (of a sort), there’s
little opportunity to practise French, German or Spanish.
Some shrewd New Zealanders with an eye to the future have
made great strides in Japanese and other Asian languages,
but don’t bank on it. If you don’t speak English well in New
Zealand, you will be sunk!

Don’t be fooled into thinking that New Zealand English is
more or less the same as Australian English; it isn't. As
any New Zealander will tell you, New Zildish is the proper
Antipodean version of English and it’s the Australians who
have corrupted it. You will find that Australian words and
phrases aren’t used in New Zealand (the same applies to
American, Canadian and other versions of English). The use
of ‘proper’ English often comes across as rather snobbish or
superior in New Zealand, where people at all levels of
society use New Zealand’s own dialect, even at work.

The main distinguishing characteristic of the New Zealand
dialect is to shorten words so that they end in ‘o’, ‘y’ or
‘ie’. For example, ‘ arvo’ for ‘afternoon’ or ‘ kindy’ for
kindergarten. Like accents in any country, a New Zealand
accent can vary from slightly difficult to understand to
completely unintelligible. Nevertheless, whatever variety of
English you speak, if you speak it well, you will be easily
understood.
The early years of the 21st century have seen New Zealanders
of all backgrounds increasingly peppering their speech with
Maori words, perhaps a sign that the country is beginning to
distance itself from its British heritage and forge its own
identity. Until recently, the only Maori words known to most
white New Zealanders were place names and terms like haka
(the war dance perfomed by the All Blacks rugby team before
matches) and kiwi (the small, hairy fruit). But words like
kiora (hello), mahi (work) and whanau (family) are being
used with increasing frequency, and some popular English
expressions have been given a Maori flavour with the
inclusion of Maori words, for example, ‘he’s a couple of
kumera (sweet potato) short of a hangi (earth oven)’.

This article is an extract from Living and Working in New
Zealand. Click here to get a copy now.